both sides are digging in their heels, and with no move to avoid the fiscal cliff, or to raise the debt ceiling which is currently at $16.4 trillion, now there's new concern about what could happen to our credit rating in the new year. each day toward the fiscal cliff is also another day closer to the country maxing out on its borrowing limits. president obama called it a dangerous lesson when he talked to business leaders today. >> the only thing that debt ceiling is good for as a weapon is to destroy your credit rating. >> reporter: he's worried republicans may refuse to raise the debt ceiling and risk defaulting on the country's loan. >> that is a bad strategy for america. it's a bad strategy for your businesses. and it is not a game that i will play. >> reporter: republicans are pushing back. >> he's the president, not the emperor. he does not have the power. >> reporter: fiscal cliff negotiations have been at a standstill since monday. not by raising rates on the rich as the president had insisted. >> we're not insisting on rates just out of spite, but rather because we need to rai